Lie to Me (14 page)

Damian switched his train of thought to Miles and accompanying him to school the next day. There was a detention to talk about with the principal of Miles’ school. He needed get up early, so he took a few steps toward the dresser to get his boxers…

His cell phone rang. Damian rubbed his eyes and let it ring a second time, wondering whether or not to answer. Probably Reese.

Even though he was exhausted, it would be unkind not to answer her nightly call. He reached into his back pocket and answered without checking his caller ID. “Hi.”

Nobody spoke back to him, but he heard the phone maybe bouncing on the ground.
Had Reese dropped the receiver?

“Hello?” je asked again.

He heard ragged breathing on the other end and his body tensed. “Who is this?”

“Damian?”

“Alex?”

Damian heard distant traffic, but his brother didn’t answer.

“Alex, what is it?” His voice had dropped a full octave.

“He used a shovel. Hit me hard and now…damn blood.” He forced out each word.

“Where are you?”

“The alley behind the hotel…. I just pushed your cell…on my speed dial. Can you come?”

Damian was already moving. “I’ll be right there.” He called 9-1-1 on the hotel room phone, not wanting to break contact with his brother.

Running down the hallway, he tried to get Alex to talk to him, but his brother had gone silent. Frightened, he rushed out the hotel’s rear door and stepped into the alley. Under a streetlight, a motionless form lay crumpled in a puddle of rain. Shaking water out of his eyes, Damian reached Alex’s inert body. Blood ran from one side of his face to the other and pooled to the gravel. He dropped to one knee, checking Alex’s pulse, and breathed a sigh of relief when he felt a steady beat.

Alex’s eyes opened. He tried to sit up, but crashed back down with a groan. “You made it. Did you see them? Two held me and one bashed me with—” His voice fizzled out.

“They’re gone. You probably scared them off. Don’t move.”

“Some police siren in the distance scared them off—shit.” He clenched his teeth and rolled to his back. Damian lowered himself to his belly to examine the injury from closer range. A deep gash, just above his ear, oozed bright red blood. It caked in his hair and formed a puddle in his ear.

“I’ll stop that bleeding.” Damian ripped off his shirt, rolled it into a ball and pressed it against the wound.

Alex shut his eyes again, his breathing harsh with pain.

“Stay conscious, man. Don’t give in.” Damian hoped the cold rain splattering on his face would keep Alex awake.
Who would hurt Alex anyway? Everyone liked him.
Damian felt helpless as he waited for the paramedics to arrive.

A few seconds later he heard a siren in the distance. Glancing toward Main Street, as the ambulance pulled into the alley, he suddenly noticed a piece of paper lying on the ground.
Had the thugs responsible for Alex’s beating dropped something that might identify them?
He’d personally enjoy tearing the bastards apart.

Keeping one hand on the shirt he was using to stop Alex’s bleeding, he grabbed the soggy white sheet of copy paper. The typed words were smeared with water and he had to squint to read them.

The werkers had enough. Mete our demands or moer of you will be hurting. Dady and Junor beter bring the fiered werkers back. Or sel the plase to someone who wil. And send the drunkin’ fucker away. Why did he com back? We don’t nede mor Ballintines here. Do wat we say. You have a cute grandsn, Mr Ballintine.

Damian felt his breath coming quickly.
The damn mill. But not just the mill.
Him too. If he didn’t leave town, Miles could be in danger. He’d have to hire a bodyguard for his boy right away. Guilt assailed him. He shouldn’t have come back.

The letter wasn’t just about him though. It was directed toward all of them.
Was this some crazy fired mill worker? Someone pretending to be a mill worker?

He stashed the note into his back pocket and looked up as the ambulance pulled beside him.

Even before Casey reached Alex’s hospital room, she could hear the Ballantine men arguing and Alex’s groan. “Stop it! For Chrissakes, my head! Shut up, will you?”

Casey felt a rush of relief, hearing Alex’s protesting voice. At least he wasn’t unconscious. She hurried into the room and tossed a rolled up t-shirt at the shirtless Damian. As soon as he caught it, she scurried up to the hospital bed and bit back a gasp. Alex had a large bandage just above his right ear and a purple eye almost swollen shut. She kissed him on the cheek as her eyes misted. “I’m so sorry, love. How are you doing?”

“Never better.” He managed a smile and she stroked the side of his face. He seemed lucid and alert, good signs. But he looked terrible. A wave of nausea swept over her. Damian must be beside himself—Damian. She glanced over her shoulder at him. His arms were crossed as he watched his twin, his face almost as white as Alex’s.

Casey turned to Alex again, patted his arm, and then stepped back, into Damian’s hard chest. His arms wrapped around her at once, and she felt him trembling. On the other side of Alex’s sterile hospital bed stood Sam and a tense looking Michael.

“Anyone have a clue why this happened?” she asked. “Robbery?”

Damian snorted. “I found a note right by Alex’s body; cops took it when they were here.
Seems
to be one or more fired mill workers, with a special love note directed at me, telling me to leave town or Miles could be a target.”

“Miles!” she gasped, terror overtaking her.

“I’m hiring a bodyguard to follow him anytime he’s not with us, like at school,” Damian said, in a tight voice, his eyes strangely on Sam, who stared back at him with unfettered hatred. “I won’t allow anything to happen to our son.” His next words bit, like an icy winter wind. “If the workers got better treatment this wouldn’t have happened—this hatred for all of us.”

“Damian, stop this!” Michael said, his eyes flashing.

“Fucking leave town and see if things get better,” Sam shot. “The letter told you to get lost. I agree.”

“I know.” Damian’s gaze burned at him from across Alex’s bed. “I think the letter was for my eyes only, and the attack was supposed to be on me. The rest of that letter could be a smokescreen. You want me out of town bad, big brother, don’t you?”

Alex moaned, pressing his hands over his eyes. “This is about all of us,” he muttered. “We need to stick together, not fight.”

“I don’t see how we can stick together.” Damian’s arms tightened around Casey, who was grinding her teeth.

“Damian,” she whispered up at him.

He patted her arm, but said, “Sam probably planned this, and the thugs took Alex for me.” He spat out the words glaring at his brother. He didn’t really believe his accusation, although it had crossed his mind, but he had to take his anger, fear and frustration out on somebody.

“Piece of slime!” Sam shot back. “You always did bring trouble.”

“Stop, damnit!” Alex snapped, and he groaned again. “If you have to fight, do it somewhere else, man. My head is killing me, all right?”

Everybody silenced, but Casey saw Damian’s smoldering eyes setting on Sam’s hot gaze. She put her hand on Damian’s arm and squeezed it. He stayed silent, but she recognized his struggle to remain quiet.

Casey glanced quickly at Sam. His face was red and he looked tense. “Sorry, Alex,” he finally said.

“Me too,” Damian added, his fingers so tense that they dug into her ribs enough to make them hurt.

The hospital phone rang and Michael, standing right there, picked it up. Everyone, including Casey, stared at him while he grunted a few responses. Finally he looked at Alex and asked, “Do you feel well enough to go over a few of the questions? It’s the chief, Pete.”

Alex let out a tired breath and held out his hand for the phone. Nobody seemed to move as they listened to Alex. “Three guys,” he said, in a terse voice. “Yes, I’m sure. All dressed in black. Ski masks so I couldn’t see their faces. Gloves. Dark shoes. Seemed tall and muscular, but that happens when people come at you with weapons. I could never identify them… Like I said, none of them made a sound, and I only got hit once because they heard a police siren and took off. I can’t tell you what I don’t know.”

Alex began losing his patience and handed the phone back to his father. “He wants to talk to you again,” he muttered, shutting his eyes. Letting out a few whispered curses, he put both hands to his head.

Casey grimaced, her heart in her throat

Sam sucked in an audible breath.

“Bastards,” Damian mumbled. “Fucking bastards.”

“If I get my hands on them, they’ll die.” Sam’s quiet voice laced with danger.

“Same here.” Damian leveled an accusatory glance at Sam that both Casey and Michael saw. Alex had his eyes shut and missed it.

Casey felt the tension between Damian and Sam. They were coiled enough to strike blows and, although she believed neither wanted to upset Alex, tempers were short tonight. She needed to change the subject. To anything. “Excuse us for a moment,” she said to everyone, as she pulled Damian to a corner of the room.

When they were almost hugging the wall, she grabbed his other hand and he looked down at her, questions in his eyes. “What?” He looked exhausted.

“I just wanted you to know that Miles is safe at home with Mom.” She spoke just above a whisper.

“I figured. That was nice of her—to come so you could be with me. She hates me.” He also used a soft voice.

“She isn’t your biggest fan, but she likes Alex.”

“You didn’t pull me off to the side to tell me this, did you?”

“No. I wanted to cool you off. Do you really think Sam was behind this?”

“Not really, but I’m not ruling him out. Jerk wants me out of town badly.”

“Don’t stress yourself, Damian. Please.” She squeezed his hands as she watched the tension on his face.

He broke into a cynical smile. “What happened to Alex stressed me out, and I’m sure it will stay with me for a while. But thank you for coming. If you weren’t here, it would be so much worse.” His luminous eyes softened, the hint of a smile in them.

Something that felt like hot chocolate slid through her body. “I’m glad you called me,” she whispered back. “You finally let me into your life at a difficult time.” She looked at him, his closeness melting her inside. She tiptoed and gave him a fast kiss on the lips.

“How disgustingly touching,” Sam said and, as they both looked over at him, his eyebrows came together and he crossed his arms.

Alex let out a hiss, and Michael’s eyes froze on Sam’s.

Damian let go of one of Casey’s hands and walked her back to Alex’s bedside. He didn’t respond to Sam’s bait, and Casey appreciated the gallant effort. She rewarded him by gently tapping her fingers on his side, and he pulled her closer to him. As her body snuggled into his muscled ribs, she felt protected from the ugliness of the night’s events.

That’s when the question hit her, and hit her hard. Why did they have to torture one another by insisting that they needed to be apart? They clearly didn’t want that. It already felt as if he’d been back forever, and their bond hadn’t broken. She rested her head against his hard shoulder and her mind whirled as she ran her hand up and down his side. Why
didn’t
they try again? Damian hadn’t had a drink in four years. Casey blinked, trying to clear her head.

It was late on a night filled with tension. She was tired and maybe not thinking straight. Or maybe her fatigue lowered her barriers, forcing her to face things she’d blocked out when more on guard. But now that the question had surfaced, she knew she’d be giving it a lot of thought. She stared up at him. His face was shadowed with weariness, and she tenderly brushed his cheek. Instantly, his features smoothed as he gazed down at her. A meaningful flash of almost tangible understanding passed between them.

She could comfort him with a touch. Hell, his touch comforted her as well.

She felt a maternal pang of worry as she watched his thick eyelashes lowering. She knew he hadn’t slept a lick so far tonight.

“You know,” she said to everyone, careful not to single him out, “everyone should really go to sleep.”

Alex stirred his head on the pillow. “Casey’s right. All o’ you, go home… I’m jus’ goin’ to sleep. Meds kickin’ in.”

Michael looked down at his injured son, a mass of six foot four inch muscle now weak and compromised. Casey watched, as he gently stroked his arm. As she swallowed a lump in her throat, she wondered if Michael and Sam would rethink their mill policies since Alex had been hurt. She believed that this incident could actually lead to some good. It didn’t seem like Alex had been hurt that badly. Maybe the event could act as a wakeup call.

Michael’s affectionate display passed in a flash. He stepped back almost right away and said, “We’ll go soon. I want to stay here just a little longer. You can sleep if you like.” His voice was rough, but she heard his underlying paternal concern.

About half an hour later, they finally readied to go.

Sam lingered by Alex’s bed while Damian watched with a narrowed gaze.

“Sam, go home,” Alex mumbled, his eyes shut.